Tactile display to allow sight impaired to feel visual information including color

ABSTRACT

A tactile display may comprise an array of pins that may be raised in height relative to one another to represent contours of objects in a graphic image or picture when touched. Various physical attributes may be given to individual pins to represent color or brightness. For example, pins may be heated or cooled to represent cool or warm colors in the original image. Pins may also be vibrated or otherwise enhanced to represent color or brightness information in the original image.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention, relate to tactile displays and,more particularly, to tactile displays which may display visualinformation including color representation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Pin art matrix devices have been popular as toys and as art for a numberof years. FIG. 1 shows a typical pin art matrix device. The device takesa three-dimensional relief of a surface by using a crowded array of pins2 that are free to slide back and forth independently. The threedimensional object, such as a human hand, is pressed into the under sideof the matrix 4 and the pins 2 traverse upwards proportional to thecontours of the object. The object is then displayed on the top side 6of the matrix as a combination of pins all at various heights.

Tactile displays for the sight impaired have also been around for anumber of years which take advantage of pin matrix devices. Typicallythe matrix is fairly small and actuators raise a series of pins to asame height to represent a braille character which may be read bytouching a finger to the matrix. Each braille character or cell is madeup of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle matrix containing twocolumns of three dots each. A dot may be raised at any of the sixpositions to form sixty-four combinations, including the combination inwhich no dots are raised.

More recently devices have been developed for translating visual imagesinto tactile images. For example, U.S. published patent application2002/0158836 to Ishmael, Jr. et al., describes an imaging device forconverting incident light from a visual image into electrical signalsthat are proportional to the gray scale intensity of the incident light.A tactile display device has a two-dimensional array of variable heightpixels, wherein the height of each pixel in the tactile display isdynamically variable in proportion to the electrical signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and a better understanding of the present invention maybecome apparent from the following detailed description of arrangementsand example embodiments and the claims when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, all forming a part of the disclosure of thisinvention. While the foregoing and following written and illustrateddisclosure focuses on disclosing arrangements and example embodiments ofthe invention, it should be clearly understood that the same is by wayof illustration and example only and the invention is not limitedthereto.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of a tactile display;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system to construct a tactile displayaccording to an embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a cut away side view of a tactile display according to anembodiment for further conveying color information when touched.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, like reference numerals andcharacters may be used to designate identical, corresponding or similarcomponents in differing FIG. drawings. Well-known power/groundconnections to integrated circuits (ICs) and other components may not beshown within the figures for simplicity of illustration and discussion.Where specific details are set forth in order to describe exampleembodiments of the invention, it should be apparent to one skilled inthe art that the invention can be practiced without these specificdetails.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a construction of a hardware system, whichcan be used to construct a tactile display according to the presentinvention. A generic computer system is shown in FIG. 2. That is, thehardware system shown in FIG. 2 has an operational device 10, an inputdevice 20 having a keyboard 21, a mouse 22, and a scanner 23, an outputdevice 30 having a display device 31, such as a color monitor, and aprinter 32, a memory device 40 including a hard disk device and so on,and a communication control device 50 for connecting to networks. Here,the input device 20 and the output device 30 are both generic terms.Accordingly, for example, the output device 30 does not have to be adevice having the display device 31 and the printer 32. Further,according to embodiments, a tactile pin matrix display 42 may also beoperated by the operational device 10.

The operational device 10 has a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a readonly memory (ROM) 12 and a random access memory (RAM) 13. The CPU 11loads application programs into the RAM 13 and executes the sameinstalled in the memory device 40 in order to perform processing ofdifferent kinds of applications. One of the application programs may bea program to digitize an image, such as a picture or graphic used inthis embodiment. The program may be provided by a recording medium suchas CD-ROM and a flexible disk. Further, the program may be obtained bydownloading it from a server, which provides programs, over a network orthe like. In both cases, it is translated into an executable form and isstored in the memory device 40 according to an embodiment.

A picture or other graphic may be scanned or otherwise available to theoperational device 10. The application program running on theoperational device 10 may digitize an image or take an already digitizedimage and perform an edge detect and an image may be created that may bedisplayed on the pin matrix display 42. Edge detect filter techniquesare known and typically search for borders between different colors todetect contours of objects in the graphic. These contours may then bedisplayed as on the pin matrix display 42 as pins of varying height.

FIG. 3 shows a representative cut-away side view of the pin matrixdisplay 42. A top plate 52 and bottom plate 54 may have a space 56 inbetween separating the plates. A plurality of holes aligned between theplates, 52 and 54, may be provided to accommodate a plurality of pins58. Each pin 58 may have associated therewith functional parts 60. Inparticular, the functional parts may include an actuator 62 for causingthe pin to move up and down relative to the plates, 52 and 54 inresponse to a signal from the operational device 10. The relativeheights of the pins 58 being representative of a graphic image whentouched, such as by a human hand. This of course may be analogous to ablack and white or grey scale image to a sighted person.

In other embodiments, an enhancement might be to give each pin 58 aphysical attribute to represent color in the original graphic image. Forexample, embodiments may vary the relative height proportional to thebrightness of an image where the graphic image was converted into blackand white.

In other embodiments, color may also be represented such as by heatingor cooling areas of the pins to represent or convey color in the image.The functional parts 60 may further include a means to heat and/or coolones of the pins such as with a thermal electric cooler (TEC) 64.

Colors are often described in terms of “hot and cool” colors as colortends to evoke mood or feeling. For example, at one end of the spectrumcool colors may be comforting. Blue, green, and the neutrals white,gray, and silver are examples of cool colors. Warm colors conveyemotions from simple optimism to strong violence. The warmth of red,yellow, pink, or orange can create excitement or even anger. Theneutrals of black and brown are also considered of warm colors. Thus,the operational device 10, may signal the TEC 64 to heat or cool ones orareas of pins to relative temperatures according to colors in thegraphic image and these temperature variations when felt to the touchmay convey some sense of color.

Similarly, in another embodiments, a the pins 58 may have associatedtherewith a vibration mechanism 66, also controlled by the functionalunit 10, to vibrate the pins at relative frequencies in an effort toalso convey color of the graphic image on a tactile display 42. Sincecolor is not typically associated with movement or vibrations anyconvention may be adopted. For example, pins 58 associated with warmcolors in the graphic image may vibrate at a higher frequency thancooler colors. In another embodiment, relative amounts of low currentsmay conduct through the pins 58 to convey color in much the same manor.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention,including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention aredescribed herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalentmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as thoseskilled in the relevant art will recognize.

These modifications can be made to the invention in light of the abovedetailed description. The terms used in the following claims should notbe construed to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification and the claims. Rather, the scope of theinvention is to be determined entirely by the following claims, whichare to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claiminterpretation.

1. A tactile display, comprising: an array of pins; an actuator to moveeach pin to height relative to other pins in the array, wherein therelative heights convey a graphic image when touched; and means forconveying colors with the array of pins corresponding to colors in thegraphic image.
 2. The tactile display as recited in claim 1, wherein themeans for conveying colors comprises: a device to heat or coolindividual pins in the array of pins.
 3. The tactile display as recitedin claim 2 wherein the device comprises a thermal electric cooler (TEC)associated with individual pins to heat pins representing warm colorsand cool pins representing cool colors in the graphic image.
 4. Thetactile display as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for conveyingcolors comprises: a vibrating device to vibrate individual pins in thearray of pins at different frequencies according to colors in thegraphic image.
 5. The tactile display as recited in claim 1 wherein themeans for conveying colors comprises passing small amounts of currentthrough individual pins in the array of pins according to colors in thegraphic image.
 6. The tactile display as recited in claim 1 wherein themeans for conveying colors comprises raising pins at different heightsto represent color brightness in the graphic image if the graphic imageis a black and white grayscale image.
 7. A method for displaying animage on a tactile display, comprising: raising individual pins in anarray of pins to relative heights wherein the relative heights convey agraphic image when touched; and giving each pin a physical attribute torepresent colors in the graphic image.
 8. The method as recited in claim7 wherein giving each pin a physical attribute comprises: providing adevice to heat or cool individual pins in the array of pins.
 9. Themethod as recited in claim 8 further comprising: using a thermalelectric cooler associated with individual pins to heat pinsrepresenting warm colors and cool pins representing cool colors in thegraphic image.
 10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein giving eachpin a physical attribute comprises: vibrating individual pins in thearray of pins at different frequencies according to colors in thegraphic image.
 11. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein giving eachpin a physical attribute comprises: passing small amounts of currentthrough individual pins in the array of pins according to colors in thegraphic image.
 12. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein giving eachpin a physical attribute comprises: raising pins at different heights torepresent color brightness in the graphic image if the graphic image isa black and white grayscale image.
 13. The method as recited in claim 7,further comprising: digitizing the graphic image; and using an edgedetect filter to detect contours of objects in the graphic image.
 14. Asystem for displaying an image on a tactile display, comprising: ascanner for scanning a graphic image; a controller to digitize thescanned graphic image and to identify colors and contours of objects inthe graphic image; an array of pins; an actuator controlled by thecontroller, to move each pin to height relative to other pins in thearray, wherein the relative heights convey the graphic image whentouched; and means for conveying colors with the array of pinscorresponding to colors in the graphic image.
 15. The system as recitedin claim 14, wherein the means for conveying colors comprises: a deviceto heat or cool individual pins in the array of pins.
 16. The system asrecited in claim 15 wherein the device comprises a thermal electriccooler (TEC) associated with individual pins to heat pins representingwarm colors and cool pins representing cool colors in the graphic image.17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the means for conveyingcolors comprises: a vibrating device to vibrate individual pins in thearray of pins at different frequencies according to colors in thegraphic image.
 18. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the meansfor conveying colors comprises passing small amounts of current throughindividual pins in the array of pins according to colors in the graphicimage.
 19. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the means forconveying colors comprises raising pins at different heights torepresent color brightness in the graphic image if the graphic image isa black and white grayscale image.